A world of possibilities

Can you lose yourself while finding yourself? Do we think too much with our heads? We muse on some of the questions from Lufthansa’s ­successful campaign SayYesToTheWorld

How many colors does it take to be colorful?

Magnificent flowers and garlands are everywhere on the Indian subcontinent, as lavish wedding decorations or tumbling from the roof of a temple. During the Holi festival, people toss handfuls of colored powder called gulal at each other – a custom that is said to have been started by the Hindu god Krishna to conceal his blue skin. Hindus celebrate Holi in the spring, but festivals inspired by Holi make the world a more colorful place all year long.

If there’s one thing that’s on every scuba diver’s to-do list it’s a dive in the Silfra Rift, which runs between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, separating the continents. These plates are drifting apart at this point at a speed of up to two centimeters a year. The rift between them runs through Iceland’s Thing­vellir National Park. It is full of ice-cold, crystal-clear water – meltwater from Langjökull glacier which has filtered through the rocks. It’s the perfect place to take the plunge!

Of course! In fact, it’s an essential part of the process, because only what is lost can be found again. The ideal place to get lost is in a labyrinth. The world’s biggest one is located near Parma in Italy, the maze is roughly the size of ten soccer pitches and has three kilometers of paths. If you’re afraid of getting lost between the 60 000 bamboo plants, make sure your phone is charged before setting off: Lost souls can pick up ­Ariadne’s thread by calling an emergency number.

Have you ever been the first to set foot somewhere?

You haven’t? A good place to notch up a first is in the mountains between Brazil, Venezuela and Guiana, where there are many table-top mountains called tepuis, some of which are 2800 meters tall. Most of these mountains have never been climbed, which is little wonder con­sidering their dauntingly steep, mist-covered cliff faces. Too high for you? You could go deep down, instead: There are believed to be vast, unexplored cave systems inside the tepui.

We’d certainly be more in tune with the earth. We feel the ground beneath us due to roughly 70 000 nerve endings on the sole of each foot. Imprisoned in shoes, they lose their sensitivity. Studies show that people who regularly go barefoot have a healthier, faster gait. Walking on bare feet is becoming increasingly popular in Germany, as is evidenced by the emergence of special barefoot trails.

“Kanpai!” The Japanese word for “cheers” was the message sent from earth into space by two tipsy Japanese astronomers in 1983 from a radio telescope, possibly after a touch too much sake. Messages have been transmitted into deep space since the 1970s, often to ­galaxies even further away, so that the Japanese one may well have ­arrived first. We’re still waiting for a reply, though, and can only assume that the aliens are working on their own toast.

Philosophers have filled entire libra­ries with answers to this question. Ours is: No, because the world is self-contained. It has its own reasons for creating such magnificent creatures as the Buffon’s macaw, an exotic bird native to Central and South America. But what about us? We would do well to enjoy all the beauty around us.

Do we think too much with our heads?

No, that’s what our heads are for. But if you stop thinking, you’ll notice that your mind isn’t full of nothing. Instead, you may discover a vast inner tranquility, so big that it extends beyond the boundaries of the physical body. The key to achieving this state is meditation, something that Buddhist monks have brought to perfection. If you’re lucky, you might find your intuition coming to the foreground – which is thinking without your head.